It's the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Saving Seekers, we hear you. Seeking energy savings, always keep your energy prices under the price cap. With Next Pledge, your energy prices are guaranteed to always stay below the price cap. Satisfy those savings cravings. Check out our full range of tailored energy solutions at eonnext.com forward slash save. Eonnext, we make energy savings work. Next Pledge is a 12 month fixed time track of tariff with variable rates lower than off chance price cap for standard variable tariffs. Direct debit required. Teas and seas apply. If there's one player in this draft class who could anchor the Packers run defense right now, it's Ohio State monster, Kayden McDonald. You are locked on Packers, your daily Green Bay Packers podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. You are locked on Packers, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Peter Bacowsky and I cover the Packers for the leap. A newsletter I would love for you to subscribe to. Thanks to everyone who makes Locked On Packers, they're first listen every day. We hope you like starting your day with us. As much as we like starting our day with you here on Locked On Packers and the Locked On Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network. We are deep diving. Kayden McDonald today knows tackle from Ohio State. He is one of the names at defensive tackle in this draft class for the Green Bay Packers. If they're going to use a high pick on one of these guys, I think there's probably only three players who could potentially get into that conversation. Kristen Miller is one we already talked about from the University of Georgia. McDonald is one of the others. We'll get to the third. Don't worry. We'll get to the other guy. We'll get there. And I have said over and over throughout this process, I said, if there is one player who could come in from day one and as a rookie be that 30, 40% starter early down run demolisher. It's Kayden McDonald. And the problem is he didn't test. So we do not have an athletic profile on Kayden McDonald. He is 63, 326. He is an absolute wagon and he is a monster in the run game. And normally you would say, okay, do you want to take a guy who is a run mostly defender in the top 100? Those guys are just not as valuable as someone who can actually rush the passer. I think there is some pass rush upside here. At least someone who could push the pocket, someone who has shown that ability. He's also not even 21 years old. And so he's got one season as a full time starter and was awesome. An elite run stop grade, a run defense grade, elite run stop rate. The pass rush is what you're lacking. Just two sacks and 12 hurries last year. He did play plenty of three technique, but also played no tackle. He is thick through the middle. I mean thick, like 326 at 63 is very different than 326 at like 6566. He is a wide body in the middle, but plays with a good motor for someone his size. Sometimes those 325, 330 pound guys, they can't chase or they just don't chase. He is not like that. He will chase you down the line of scrimmage. He's got good a ball awareness and works down the line to the ball. So if it's a run away from him, he understands where the ball is and can go get it. And I know that seems like a simple thing. But with defensive linemen, you are locked in your one on one battle. You are in a war with another 310, 320 pound guy. So you have to pay attention to what you're doing and trying to get off that block, but you also have to see the ball and have some ball awareness of where I have to get to if I want to make a play here and he can do that. Now for as stout as he is in the run game, he struggles to push the pocket as a pass rusher. So that's the thing that you need him to get better at. And it's something that I think will come with strength. It will come with time. Remember, he's still a young player made a great and incredible play on fourth and one against Texas at the goal line. And those are the kinds of things that you put on tape and you go, OK, I get it. Now, he also from a pass rush standpoint, he has 20th percentile and arm length and 22nd percentile and wingspan. So and he has below average size hands, nine and three quarters is 36 percentile for defensive tackles. So his ability to control blockers and then also to discard them, which you need as a pass rusher, that's where you start to wonder about the upside there. And is his run defense from college going to translate to the NFL with that lack of length. He was very disruptive against Washington. And I thought, because remember, first year full time starting, he got better as the year went along. And there were times later in the season, he did flash that ability to push the pocket even when double teamed. But what I love about him is he will work through blocks to make tackles in the run game. He'll stack the block, see where the ball is and then go get it. Reminds me of Tiley Williams in that he's a great run defender. And then the tools that make him a good run defender could make him a better pass rusher. Eventually the Lions took Tiley Williams in the first round. Now, the lack of length does show up getting off blocks. And I even wrote in my notes, we'll see what he measures. Not good. You can see it when it shows up. That's the problem. But you look at the game against Indiana. He is bench pressing guys. He got pressure on a swim move against Indiana, slipped through trying to finish, but, but drew the holding penalty because he was pulled down. There are some shades of Kenny Clark in there where he, he would just dump truck a center. He's great at stacking blocks, but can be slow at times to disengage. And I think that just comes with time. Like he's, he's got to have a better plan of what to do. Once he has figured out, okay, I am controlling you. Now what? It can be a little slow to get there. All right. Here's where I landed with Cade McDonald. I really like McDonald for an odd front team. He eats up centers, holds up against double teams and is a menace as a run defender. He has upside as a pass rusher as well, because he's so good at stacking blocks. His effort is very good. And he finds the ball to make plays, taking good angles to mitigate his lack of athlete athleticism, moving down the line. He replaced Tiley Williams, a first round pick as a 20 year old and steadily got better as the season went along. By the end of the year, he looked like a borderline first round player. I worry about the lack of length in Twitch, which makes him an early down player only, but he flashes the kind of pass rush upside to make him a difference maker as a pass rushing nose tackle. Eventually, I'm not sure he'll ever be an elite DT, but he's an elite run defender already is young with pedigree and experience and has plenty of upside to get better. I landed on him with a second round grade. So how would he fit with the Green Bay Packers? I think some of it is obvious. We'll talk about it next. What if sports were traded like markets? Now you can put your sports IQ to work in real time with Robin Hood prediction markets. It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. You can buy or sell your positions live all game long. Use your sports knowledge in the moments that matter. Robin Hood prediction markets changes the game. It's people moving the action. So in momentum shifts, you can move with it. 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When it comes to fit. I think there is a real question about what the future of your front is going to look like. If you think Devante Wyatt is a long term piece for you. Then it is totally acceptable to me to say you drafts Kade McDonald. You pay Devante Wyatt and you've got your nose tackle and three technique for whatever front you want to run. We've seen Devante Wyatt in an odd front. We've seen him in an even front. His role is not going to change that much. Kade McDonald is someone who compliments Devante Wyatt and J. Von Hargrave and Carl Brooks for that matter. Extremely well and he's someone who I think would allow Carl Brooks to play more three technique which is where I think he's the better player. Tom Silverstein recently reported Carl Brooks is one of the guys that the Packers would potentially like to extend. Personally I would rather give Carl Brooks the Dean Lowry deal for example than give Devante Wyatt anything close to the Kenny Clark deal. I don't think there's that big a difference for them as a player but there is an enormous difference in value. Dean Lowry was extended long enough ago that you'd have to update that contract for today's money but it would not be anywhere near what Kenny Clark is going to get. Devante Wyatt could probably be a little bit more of a big difference. Probably on the open market get a lot more. Former first round pick Georgia Bulldog great athletic measureables has some nice numbers as an interior pass rusher and all of that. But the Packers need beef. They need that run stuffing ability if they're going to play a bunch of too high coverage. And if they're going to let their guys get wide and rush the passer you need at least one if not multiple players who can eat blocks inside. And I think of that 2022 Eagles team when they bring in Linval Joseph late in the season. I think there are some potential similarities with Cade McDonald and Linval Joseph in terms of their ability to there was there was a time when Linval Joseph was a high tackle player because he was just so good at getting into the backfield. And it wasn't like he was a special athlete or anything like that. He was just a really instinctive really good football player. He was also not. He was a bigger player and had longer arms. But I don't think he was any more athletic for example than someone like Cade McDonald. So I think the fit with what they have there they have a bunch of three techniques. They don't have a true nose tackle. And so when you when we talk about positional value it has to be viewed through the lens of positional value relative to your team. So if you have a nose tackle who could walk into 40 percent of snaps because on first and second down second and medium to short he can always be on the field and third and short he can always be on the field first and 10 you're going to want your big bodies out there. He gives you enough and enough theoretical upside enough run defending and enough theoretical upside as a pass rusher that on first down no problem. Now second and 10 that is more of a passing down but if it's second and five second and four you probably still want your run defenders out there. So if he could just you know moonwalk into 35 40 percent of snaps in year one and that's all he ever is but he's a really really good player on early downs like if he's DJ reader that guy's really valuable to the Packers to any team but to the Packers specifically because they just don't have anyone else that can replicate that skill set. Now would you rather have someone like Chris Miller who could play any position along your defensive front in an out front. Yes he's a higher graded player for me. I think he's the better football player right now but I don't think it's that that it's that different. And one of the reasons why I like Chris Miller better is the frame and I think the upside as a pass rusher is greater. McDonald to me is the better run defender right now today. That's why I believe he could come in for a team that wants to compete for a Super Bowl and say I can help your run defense right now. You want to you want to stop the Bears the Eagles the Lions the Rams the 49ers from running the football. You need a body like this. And sure you could go out on day three and draft somebody who's probably not as good and get 75 percent of the play. But when you have the opportunity like this and I think it has to be relative to what's on the board like to me if you could draft a corner if you could draft Brandon Ceasey or you could draft Julian Neil or someone like that. I would rather do that the value at that position the need for the Packers they could get by with the defensive front that they have and a D3 or a D3 a day maybe it's it'll be a D3 a day three defensive tackle. They could get by with that and you sign a veteran post June 1 DJ reader or not. You could do that. You could get by and you'd rather have the corner. But let's say they don't love the value at corner at 52. To me the next best option is if they can find one of these Hauses in the middle of their defense. And there may be a receiver that they just love. And I've said before like unless there's one of those premium corners I would just take Ted Hearst. Now we'll see what how they feel about Jaden Reed if they want to do that extension we got some information on Tavian Wicks. Some calls are being made about there. So maybe the Packers are seeing the vision at receiver. They brought in. Ted Hearst for a 30 visit. Like could there be some smoke there. He's the kind of player I would say OK defensive tackle will figure it out later. I'll take that round three defensive tackle that round four defensive tackle I'll take two or three if I have to the upside of that guy is too great to pass up. I think a corner is just going to be the more valuable spot. But someone like Caden McDonald would make me think long and hard about how I feel about that corner because this is a deep corner class. And so could I find that guy in the third round. That's that's almost as good as the guy that I'm getting in the second round. Could I get a Devon Moore. You know someone like that a Dalen Everett. Maybe. And what is the what is the gap of the defensive lineman that I could get in that spot. Pretty big. I think there's a there's a sizable drop off after Christian Miller and Caden McDonald. I think and Kayla Banks who I don't think the best I've ever seen. And Kayla Banks who I don't think the Packers are going to draft for myriad reasons. I think there's a huge drop off. And so if you could get one of those guys there's not a corner. There's a bunch of guys day two that I would want to draft. That's not the case at defensive tackle. So that tear break is important. And someone like Caden McDonald. I'm going to bet on that pedigree the age Ohio State the program. And look even if you only have to play play 30 percent of snaps that's enough. That Jonathan Gannon defense changed when they got Jordan Davis. And I understand Jordan Davis was not ready to shoulder the burden. Was not ready to play all those snaps. It took him some time. But I think you could get 25 30 percent of snaps from Caden McDonald right away. And he wildly improves a run defense that needs that strength up the middle. All right. More to come unlocked on Packers with goodies guys. I promise we're going to get to some running backs this week. Mike Washington Jr. Nick Singleton. There's some guys that I want to get to here. Offensive Lyman is coming. I swear we're going to get there. So a lot more on the goodies guys series coming up for you subscribe to me on the social media is wherever you are on social media. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get podcasts iTunes Spotify Google. I'm going to keep saying it. And then YouTube of course we're live. We're going to be live Friday like we always are the Friday news dump noon central. So come hang out this on YouTube there. And as always stay locked on Packers. With next pledge your energy prices are guaranteed to always stay below the price cap. Satisfy those savings cravings. Check out our full range of tailored energy solutions at eonnext.com forward slash save. Eonnext we make energy savings work. Next pledge is a 12 month fixed time trucker tariff with variable rates lower than often price cap for standard variable tariffs direct debit required. T's and C's apply.
